Dawa Lhamo, a graduate of CUNY School of Law, is currently a part of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project’s legal team and offers direct legal services in her capacity as an Immigrant Justice Corps legal fellow. Dawa has focused her career on immigration through her work as a student attorney at CUNY for International Refugee Assistance Project and the Immigrant & Non-Citizen Rights Clinic. In her first year of law school, she interned with Catholic Migration Services in NYC and during her second year, she interned with Nationality for All in Nepal. She has dedicated her legal education and career in providing comprehensive legal service to immigrants.
Dawa is also the recipient of the 2022 Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice Fellowship and the 2021 SABANY-AALFNY Public Interest Fellowship.
Ranjeeta Silwal is a human rights lawyer with 10 years of experience.
Based in Kathmandu, she has worked with national and international organizations, where she has passionately spearheaded program implementation, coordinated with diverse stakeholders, and represented victims of human rights violations in pivotal forums. Her extensive engagement spans
Women’s rights, Peace and Security, and Gender Justice, reflecting her unwavering commitment to societal equity.
Ranjeeta holds a LL.M. from the Kathmandu School of law, grounding her expertise in legal frameworks and advocacy. A staunch feminist, she champions gender equality with fervor, infusing her professional endeavors with principles of inclusivity and empowerment. Her multifaceted persona epitomizes resilience, compassion, and a steadfast dedication to creating a more just and equitable world.
In her spare time, Ranjeeta likes to enjoy the company of her houseplants, a nice fiction and masala
tea.
Hannah Gordon (BA and JD the University of Melbourne) is a PhD Candidate at the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness. Hannah has worked in the statelessness sector since 2019 first in research at the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and later as part of Nationality for All.
In her time with Nationality for All, Hannah was Lead Researcher on the Statelessness Encyclopedia Asia Pacific (SEAP) and advised on the formation of the Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition (SDCC) a regional coalition of affected persons, NGOs and individuals working towards addressing statelessness in the Asia Pacific.
Hannah is an admitted lawyer, and her research seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice. She is strongly influenced by her experiences working with persons affected by statelessness across the Asia Pacific and her thesis focuses on the current approaches to addressing statelessness in the region.
Dr Grant Mitchell is a visionary global civil society leader with 25 years’ experience in non-profit leadership, governance, research, mentoring and advocacy on human rights issues, including working with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) bodies and governments in Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.
Grant’s expertise lies in exploring and developing practical and effective strategies for change. He has extensive experience in advocacy work with communities, NGOs and UN bodies on refugee, asylum seeker and statelessness issues at the international, regional and national levels. A social anthropologist, his recent PhD thesis focuses on how civil society can effectively engage governments for rights-based policy change. The model of effective engagement he developed has been “a new, original, and potentially life-changing contribution” for human rights advocacy.
Grant was the the International Detention Coalition, a global civil society network working to secure the rights of people impacted by immigration detention, which led the release of children from detention in more than 10 countries. He has also previously worked with the Swedish Migration Board, the Red Cross, was a founding member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and sat on a number of government committees, including the US Obama administration’s Asylum Family Case Management Reference Committee.
He is currently the Head of Advocacy for the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) overseeing its ambitious and expanding Advocacy Programme aimed at providing direct advocacy support to country-partners and to develop strategic global advocacy campaigns. He also sits on the newly developed Taskforce of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, an initiative of UNHCR that seeks to accelerate solutions to statelessness through a collective multi-stakeholder approach which centers those who are stateless or formerly stateless.
Dr Mitchell won the Australian Human Rights Award in 2002, and was nominated for the 2004 French Human Rights Prize for his work with women and children in immigration detention.
Sauhard Rai is an undergraduate from Kathmandu School Of Law. He has just recently completed his five-year course of Bachelors of Arts Legisum Laterum Bachelor (B.A.LLB). He worked as an intern at FWLD where his area of focus was on “Access To Justice for Women and the Marginalised Communities” during COVID-19 period. He was involved in legal research and reporting along with reviewing the various field data conducted on such subject matters. Intrigued by the disparities and discrimination of the Nepalese legal system, he shifted his focus towards citizenship laws of Nepal where he did his Bachelor’s thesis on the topic, “Gender-Based Justice Focusing on Discriminatory Citizenship Laws of Nepal.” Furthermore, he has also worked as a contractual consultant with a NGO wherein he prepared a report on statelessness and citizenship status of refugees in Nepal. Thus, his keen interest and commitment is focused on ensuring fundamental rights of citizens and individuals guaranteed by the Constitution, such as access to justice, citizenship, gender equality, and gender based justice.
Saramsha Aryal is an undergraduate law student at Kathmandu School of Law. She has a strong passion for the field of Public International Law and Human Rights law, which she has developed and nurtured through her academic journey. Throughout her time in Kathmandu School of Law, she has actively contributed to the academic community. She has also worked as an editor in ‘Asia blogs’ and the Kathmandu School of Law Review. She has actively participated in moot courts in International Law, deepening her understanding of legal issues within both national and international context. She is motivated towards making a positive difference in the field of International Human Rights, while representing Nepal in the global arena.
Akriti Koirala is a law graduate from Kathmandu University school of Law with a degree in Bachelors in Business management and Bachelors of Law. While graduating from law school was an achievement she is proud of, it was just the beginning of her professional journey. She has always been passionate about human rights and advocating on behalf of women’s rights, and she is determined to pursue her aspirations as a human rights lawyer. With a keen understanding of the legal system and a deep commitment to justice, she hopes to make a positive impact in the world. Additionally, she is equipped with an inquisitive mind and an unwavering drive to make change. She is eager to utilise her legal knowledge and expertise to ensure the protection of human dignity and rights for all.
Prakriti Niroula,a licensed advocate under the Nepal Bar Council, is a dedicated legal professional based in Kathmandu, Nepal. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Law (B.A.LL.B) from Nepal Law Campus,Tribhuvan University, where she honed her legal skills and developed a profound understanding of the law. Prakriti’s unwavering commitment is focused on child rights and women’s rights, as well as broader issues related to gender justice and national identity. Her education and passion empower her to become a catalyst for real societal change. During her academic journey, Prakriti actively participated in various national level moot court competitions and organized various events, refining her advocacy skills and gaining valuable insights into the legal landscape. In her professional career, Prakriti has a diverse experience in the Nepalese legal system as a Litigation lawyer advocating for justice and a legal counsel delivering her valuable insights for a company. Driven by her deep seated passion for social causes and her commitment to being an agent of change, she dedicates herself to being an unwavering champion for justice, empowering those in the shadows.
Kritagya is a dedicated Human Rights Lawyer with experience receiving, investigating, and conciliating complaints violations of Human Rights especially on Statelessness and Gender Based Violence Context. He recently worked as Program Officer for 2 years and then as the Program Coordinator for 3 years on works on Statelessness and civil documentation in Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) in Kathmandu. He worked as a legal officer in FWLD for a year before that. He also worked as a research facilitator in Center for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLRRd) for a year. He has a Master’s degree onHuman Rights and Humanitarian Law, Women rights and gender studies from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, Symbiosis International University. He has conducted studies on Analysis and Recommendation on Legal Provisions related to people engaged in voluntary sex work and is also one of the major contributors in writing the CEDAW Shadow Report of Nepal. He loves to work in a multicultural environment.